1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in breathing monitor articles of wearing apparel and more particularly, to an article of wearing apparel which is constructed so as to detect and generate an alarm signal when there is a cessation of breathing of the child user for a minimum predetermined time period.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Detection of breathing patterns of children, and particularly infant children, has proved to be a more difficult task than one would initially envision. There has been a long-felt need for an apparatus and a method to monitor infant child breathing conditions in order to ensure that the child does not lapse into a non-breathing state.
The syndrome of sudden infant death ("SIDS"), is one which is moderately rare, although not uncommon. In the sudden infant death syndrome, oftentimes for some inexplicable reason, the child stops breathing and since there is usually utter silence, a parent, or other attendant to the child, does not recognize the cessation of breathing until long after the death of the infant child. The same situation exists when an infant child becomes entangled in clothing, blankets or the like and is unable to extricate himself or herself. Here, again, suffocation usually occurs, silently resulting in the death of the infant child.
Conditions of periodic cessation of breathing are not uncommon, particularly during the first few days of life. Furthermore, periodic breathing occurs more frequently during periods of active sleep. There has been a need for some apparatus and method to detect improper breathing patterns, particularly when accompanied by reduced heart rate and/or color change. Some of these causes may be due to immature nerve cells, obstructions in the child, chest wall defects or combinations of these causes. In any event, either cessation of breathing or decreased respiratory activity can result either in death or serious or permanent injury to a child, and particularly an infant child.
The control of breathing (often referred to as "ventilation") in infants is determined by the sensitivity of various chemical and physical receptors in the human body to gas and pressures in the body. Sensitivity to oxygen and carbon dioxide in newborn children may be reduced if they do not attain a certain level of grown maturity during gestation and in the first year of their life. Thus, in many cases, these newborn children may experience breathing cessation for ten to fifteen seconds, followed by the condition of apnea for five to ten seconds without a change in skin color or heart rate. As a result, it may be difficult to detect breathing cessation in small children.
Other causes of apnea in infancy include gastroesophageal reflex, pharyngeal incoordination, convulsion, heart disease, infection, CNS abnormality, accidental smothering and breath-holding spells. In each of these cases, external conditions are not immediately apparent and thus, an attendant or parent of the child may not recognize cessation of breathing.
The only effective breathing monitors for infant children are presently located in hospital environments. For example, in one monitor apparatus, a scope is used with leads placed on the child's chest and where the scope is connected to an overhead panel. In this way, an electrical signal, representative of a breathing pattern, may be displayed. A beeper, or other alarm device, may be connected to the scope for audibly generating a signal of heart rate and/or apnea representing an emergency condition. If the frequency on the scope is beyond a certain range which would constitute a normal breathing range, then an alarm will be generated.
One of the problems with this type of equipment is that this equipment obviously is not portable and can only be used by highly trained personnel. Moreover, it is not adapted for home-use environment and is also exceedingly expensive. As a result, this type of equipment is not effective in detecting conditions of apnea, or to reduce the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome in other than a hospital or clinical environment.
In some cases, where an infant child is recognized as having a high risk of sudden breathing cessation, a device which utilizes sonar waves, is attached to the infant's crib and effectively listens for breath sounds. An elastic sheet coupled with an electrode has been used to monitor breathing activity of a child. Unfortunately, this type of device requires a jacket tightly disposed about the chest-wall of the infant child. As a result, it is very uncomfortable and ironically, even militates against the condition it is attempting to monitor in that it actually restricts breathing.
The aforesaid device has also been provided with a shock-type treatment, such that a mild electric shock is applied to the infant child if breathing does not occur for a predetermined period of time. However, this device also has severe drawbacks in that the shock, itself, is distressing to the infant child user and can cause skin burns to the infant child, not to mention the psychological damage which could be created.
There are several infant intercom systems which are commercially available for home use. These intercom systems are generally designed to determine whether a child in another room, or in an environment which is not immediately adjacent to a parent or caretaker, is in a distressed condition, such as crying, etc. However, unless the volume and sensitivity is increased substantially, breathing is not detected. There is also some belief presently that electro- magnetic fields produced by these intercom systems can cause brain cancer in infants and others who are in close contact with these systems for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, when the volume is increased substantially, or if sensitivity is otherwise increased, a hissing noise will result, thereby interfering with a determination of whether or not a breathing pattern is normal. Notwithstanding, after a short time, the breathing pattern becomes background noise and the caretaker or parent is not immediately aware of any lapse in breathing. Even more so, the adult or other caretaker would be required to literally carry a receiver in order to monitor the infant's condition.